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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28810251">Searching for a trail to follow</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothgum/pseuds/mothgum'>mothgum</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hannibal (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dragon Age Fusion, Beverly Katz Lives, Cannibalism, Developing Relationship, Dragon Age Lore, Falling In Love, First Meetings, Hannibal Lecter is a Cannibal, M/M, Magic, Manipulation, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Will Finds Out</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 10:40:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,129</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28810251</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mothgum/pseuds/mothgum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal looks back to the parchment, admiring the detailed drawing of a corpse with puncture wounds lined on its chest.</p><p>He'd have to find a similar girl tonight if he was going to go through with assisting Will, "This cannibal you have him getting to know... I think I can help good Will see his face."</p><p>Hannibal leaves the circle tower with ease, knowing he'd successfully went unrecognized as a mage amongst the templars. </p><p>He wondered what they'd do if they knew that his gift would lead them down a path that would intertwine with the Ferelden Ripper.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Searching for a trail to follow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! This fic is purely self indulgent as I collide both my favorite things together. I just thought one day, hey what would Hannibal be like in the dragon age universe, so here it is. I hope you enjoy!</p><p>Also this is un-betaed so all mistakes are my own.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The pendulum swung back and forth behind his eyes.</p><p>A scene laid before him of an elven girl sleeping in a tattered cot. He feels himself moving with haste, putting his body over hers, wrapping his hands around her throat.</p><p>She gasps, her ears twitching and eyes wide in distress as she looks into his.</p><p>He's shaking when he watches the life drain from her with his grip, and then suddenly his eyes open at a sudden movement to his right.</p><p> </p><p>Will thinks he must not have looked so good when he sees Beverly wince when he turns to her.</p><p>" You're not supposed to be in here Bev." He can feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest and he wipes a line of sweat at his brow. </p><p>Beverly rolls her eyes, Will sees a flash of concern behind them when she ruffles his hair," Yeah well you didn't look so hot bud, can't let them overwork you now." Will tries to hide his grin when he pushes her hand away with little force.</p><p>" I'm their special investigator, the Order wouldn't be very happy if they didn't get their results" He ignores her scoff as she moves back towards the body of Elise. She was the latest victim of the killer Jack had assigned them on. </p><p>That morning Will was working with newly certified mages on their control. Imagine his surprise when the Knight Commander called for him to join in on a local case.</p><p>At first he was hesitant to be out in the field again after he was benched by the Chantry for a resting period, but Knight Captain Crawford managed to convince him. Now he was here picking up the traces this killer had left behind.</p><p>Will was saving lives, it was something that he felt gave him purpose besides his teaching and he decided he'd provide his imagination where it was needed.</p><p>" Katz, you know you're not supposed to be in here." Jack warns Beverly, marching into the room with Jimmy and Zeller trailing behind him.</p><p>Will rubs his eyes, in small attempts to rub away the phantom prickling of a headache and the promise of a fever hiding behind.</p><p>" I thought Will left with the guard, my bad," She shrugs, "Anyways I found antler velvet in her wounds, like she was gored." </p><p>" Halla, dear, and elk pin their prey right?" Zeller speaks up, motions towards the body," They put all their weight into their antlers, to try and suffocate a victim." </p><p>Will considered that, pressing his lips together as he looked at Elise's lifeless body. The horror on her face still swirling behind his eyes. </p><p>Whoever this killer was, he was different than any other they had sent Will after before he dedicated himself to mentoring.</p><p>The killer's actions battled with grief when he visualized the scene, and it dawned on him. This was an act of mercy.</p><p>" Antler velvet is rich in nutrients. It actually promotes healing, many herbalists use it especially among the Dalish. He may have put it in there on purpose."</p><p>Will pauses for a moment, the gears in his head finally cease at the conclusion he's come to," He wanted to undo as much as he could given that he’d already killed her."</p><p>Jack and the others watched him, the silence in the room deafening until Jack spoke up.</p><p>" So he put her back where he found her." </p><p>" Whatever he did to the other girls, he couldn't do it to her." Will confirms, pushing away the heavy feeling in his chest when he realizes his mourning isn't his own.</p><p>" This is an apology." He mumbles, bringing a hand up to his head as a wave of a migraine hits him. </p><p>With that Jack gives them the okay to leave with their escorts. Jimmy, Zeller, and Beverly laugh as they ride their horses back to Denerim, and Will can see Beverly glancing at him with worry stricken on her features when she thinks he isn't looking. </p><p>It was something she had always done, especially when they were children. His first day in the circle and she had pushed herself through the walls he put up even as a six year old boy. From then on they were inseparable. </p><p>Eventually the Chantry noticed their closeness and let Beverly to work beside him outside of the circle.</p><p>And Beverly being Beverly, this work fit her better than it did him. And that was just fine with him. While she made bonds with Price and Zeller, he was kept busy with mentoring and the occasional call to find what went bump in the night. </p><p>Will couldn't blame her for the concern, seeing she and many of the other apprentices had witnessed multiple night terrors in their dorms when he first started working for the chantry.</p><p>He waves her off with a pained smile, and manages to keep his head up when they finally reach the circle tower.</p><p>They say their goodbyes to the two templars when they make their way to Will's room and Beverly sends him to bed before he can refuse her.</p><p>" Price wanted me to give this to you," Will quirks his brow when she pushes a bottle into his hand, and feels relief when he recognizes the red liquid to be a health poultice.</p><p>" Give him my thanks." Will rubs the bottle with his thumb, avoiding her eyes and blinking back the tension his headache was causing.</p><p>" Will I know you can handle yourself out there, but tell me if it gets too much, okay?" </p><p>He nods at her, not wanting to give her a full answer because they both know its a promise he wouldn't be able to keep. </p><p>" Get some sleep, I'll come get you when they want a debrief," Beverly grins and pats him on the shoulder, before he watches her walk off.</p><p>It's times like these where Will's thankful for his separate living space from the other mages when he slumps onto his bed after downing a health poultice to soothe his head.</p><p>The oncoming fever makes him throw off his robes, and he pulls on a thin sleep shirt and shorts before he gets under the covers.</p><p>The case is all he can manage to think about as closes his eyes, and he sighs knowing a nightmare is imminent. Elise's pale face doesn't leave the corners of his mind even as he drifts off to sleep.</p><p>    </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Will joins Beverly when she’s called to examine Elise’s body.</p><p>He watched on sleepily as she practically skipped to the morgue, which should be morbid to anyone else but he knew she was just happy to be out of the stone walls of the Circle tower.</p><p>“ I’m assuming you debriefed the First Enchanter if that look on your face tells me anything.” Beverly says, slowing down to let him catch up when they turn the corner. </p><p>“ You know Chilton, he’s always wanting more from me and is as overbearing as ever,” Will grumbles, halting in front of the building when Beverly reaches for the door,” If the Revered Mother didn’t interrupt his prodding as she always does I don’t know how long I’d be there.”</p><p>He winces when he sees the smirk played on Beverly’s lips, he shouldn’t have mentioned it. “ Ah yes, Alana Bloom. Always swooping in just at the right time.”</p><p>Beverly was well aware of the hint of feelings that he had for Alana when they were still apprentices.</p><p>She was merely a chantry sister then, praying and leading sermons in the circle chapel. He didn’t know anyone was in the chapel when he burst in, his heart beating out of his chest and his movement frantic.</p><p>It was a particularly hard case for him, and it didn’t help that traces of the killers and apostates he’d been seeking stuck to him in fragments.</p><p>And there she was, hovering over him and when he denied her comfort she waited until he was conscious enough to speak again. Even then she didn’t push Will when he didn’t want anyone to push.</p><p>From then on they had managed a friendship despite Will knowing she had a professional curiosity about him, and that she never stepped foot in a room alone with him after that first time.</p><p>It didn’t bother him, but it was something he’d noticed much more when she became the Revered Mother of the Denerim chantry. As a young man he thought he hid it well, but Beverly caught on when he’d float towards the chapel halls that first year before she got promoted.</p><p>Now he didn't know where he stood when it came to her, his stability wasn't the only thing that halted him from a normal life. He was a mage, something to be kept posted and contained.</p><p>She was a chantry Mother, had her oaths and she was devoted to the maker. It would not work and they had both accepted that fact.</p><p>“Beverly, drop it,” He warns with a sigh, and he’s thankful when she does.</p><p> </p><p>While Beverly throws a robe on, Will briefly greets Zeller and Price, who are already getting to work with Elise’s corpse.</p><p>“ Other injuries were probably but not conclusively post-mortem,” Zeller looks up from the body and nods his head towards Beverly,” So she wasn’t gored.” </p><p>“She has lots of piercings that look like they were caused by Halla antlers. I didn’t say the Halla was responsible for putting them there.” She says, moving toward the body. She looks over at Will before getting to work, her eyes captured by the wounds they were discussing.</p><p>When he allows himself a glance at the body, the echo of his fear from the night before forces itself forward.</p><p>White curved antler’s pierced her floating corpse next to his bed, blood staining her night dress. He shakes his head and steps forward, clutching the edge of his robes.</p><p>“She was mounted on them. Like hooks. She may have been bled out.” He says, earning a look from both Jimmy and Beverly.</p><p>“ Her liver was removed.” Brian motions towards her side, and the four of them inspect the unstiched gash.</p><p>“He took it out and put it back in. Why cut out her liver if he was just going to sew it back in again?” Jimmy asks, brow furrowed.</p><p>And then it dawns on Will. His stomach lurched and he felt his face go slack. He remembers the conversation he had with Jack Crawford before he debriefed Chilton.</p><p>Will recounted to the Knight-Commander that the killer they were looking for had left traces of something unexpected when Will used his imagination.</p><p>He felt guilty that he was not honoring Elise Nichols in the way he honored the other girls, a hint of love left behind. A sensitive psychopath as Jack had put it. </p><p>“Something was wrong with the meat.” He mumbled, and the three other stood speechless.</p><p>“ He’s eating them.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Hannibal looks at the multiple parchments that was skewed on top of Jack's desk with mild curiosity, scanning the files of eight missing elven girls described in similarity that was an obvious pattern.</p><p>Whoever this killer was, they had a particular person in mind when choosing their victims.</p><p>" Tell me then, how many confessions?" He says, turning to Jack and a man, who he could see was a circle mage. </p><p>"About twelve dozen since this morning. The public caught word of it from Freddie Lounds, who ran the story through her paper and posted it on the community board." Jack sighs, sitting back in his chair. </p><p>Hannibal moves to sit in the chair besides the curly haired man, and notices the chantry symbol engraved on his chestplate.</p><p>"Tasteless." The man grumbled, and Hannibal could see the distain he has at the mention of Lounds.</p><p>Interesting, he thought. When the Knight-Commander showed up at his office the day before, his first thought had been that he had been found out by the Templar order.</p><p>His instincts had bristled at sight of the steel Templar armor Jack had worn, and he was ready for a fight before Jack had asked for his help.</p><p>He considered the request and when he was informed on the type of man he'd be profiling, he couldn't refuse. He wanted to see for himself who Will Graham was.</p><p>Hannibal studies him while he exchanges few words with Will, noticing that he avoids eye contact from either of them. " Not fond of eye contact, are you?" </p><p>He can see Will tense at the sudden intrusion, and then perk back up as he continues to look down at the cup in his hands.</p><p>" Eyes are distracting. You see too much. You don’t see enough. And it’s hard to focus when you’re thinking those whites are really white or they must have the blight, or is that a burst vein? So I try to avoid eyes whenever possible."</p><p>He catches Will's eyes for a moment, and he indulges in the bright blue before they are downcast again. Oh. Hannibal feels a faint smile betray his face despite the tone of Will's words, too amused to be wounded.</p><p>He was definitely going to be far more interesting than Hannibal had previously thought. </p><p>"I imagine what you see and learn touches everything else in your mind. Your values and decency are present yet shocked at your associations, appalled at your dreams. No forts in the bone arena of your skull for things you love." </p><p>Will's body goes rigid for a split second as the words hang in the air, and then he's looking up at Hannibal with a scowl. </p><p>" Who's profile are you working on," Will turns to Jack, his voice raising," Who's profile is he working on?"</p><p>Hannibal's face remains blank as he takes a sip from his cup,"  I’m sorry, Will. Observing is what we do. I can’t shut mine off any more than you can shut yours off."</p><p>"Please, don’t psychoanalyze me. You won’t like me when I’m psychoanalyzed." He watches as Will shoots up from his chair, robe swishing behind him when Jack calls out to him before he slams out the door. </p><p>With anyone else, Hannibal would have stored the unmannerly way Will had made his exit for later use, but Will Graham intrigued him.</p><p>From as much as he gathered, Will's mind worked in a way Hannibal hadn't been privy to and he was curious to see what exactly he could potentially do with it.</p><p>He turns back to Jack who clamps his hands together on his desk. " Maybe we shouldn’t poke him like that, Doctor. Perhaps a less, um, direct approach." </p><p>Hannibal sets his cup down and leans forward into his chair, "What he has is pure empathy. Even if he wasn't a mage, he could assume your point of view, or mine, and maybe some other points of view that scare him. It’s an uncomfortable gift, Jack. Perception’s a tool that’s pointed on both ends. " </p><p>Jack hums in response. It was evident the templar cared about Will, from where Hannibal was sitting. It wasn't rare for Knight-Commanders to care about their charges, but Hannibal had seen such things enough to be cautious of such friendships.</p><p>An order is an order in the end to the templars.</p><p>Hannibal looks back to the parchment, admiring the detailed drawing of a corpse with puncture wounds lined on its chest.</p><p>He'd have to find a similar girl tonight if he was going to go through with assisting Will, "This cannibal you have him getting to know... I think I can help good Will see his face."</p><p>Hannibal leaves the circle tower with ease, knowing he'd successfully went unrecognized as a mage amongst the templars. </p><p>He wondered what they'd do if they knew that his gift would lead them down a path that would intertwine with the Ferelden Ripper.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Will stormed into the the circle library, and he knew he must have made it clear that he was steaming by the way people cleared the way for him as he strode to the corner Beverly sat looking over the examination details.</p><p>She doesn't look up when he sits next to her, fully aware he wasn't in a talking mood. He couldn't believe the nerve of that Hannibal Lecter.</p><p> </p><p>He should've known it was going to be an ambush when the Knight Commander had mentioned the name in passing that morning.</p><p><em>" We're bringing a friend of the Chantry in for some insight with a certain profile, I'd like for you two to meet."</em>  At the time Will had assumed it was for the cannibal they were looking for, but now it's clear Lecter was meant for Will.</p><p> </p><p>He takes a deep breath reflecting on the situation at hand. Will would be forced to work with him, that much was obvious.</p><p>Will knows the Chantry was probably desperate, they had been on edge with Will since the possibility of instability was back on the table with the recent killings.</p><p> </p><p>It was only smart for them to seek out not only a Healer, but a chantry scholar to keep an eye on him as collateral damage.</p><p> </p><p>'You're gonna be fine' Will thinks to himself, though he was worried what this would mean if he didn't pass some unknown criteria this appointed healer would end up reporting back to the Order. </p><p>It left a unpleasant feeling in his gut.</p><p>" So," Beverly says with her face still glued to the papers in her hands," You ready to talk about it or are we going to ignore the way you stormed in you were gonna bite someone's head off?"</p><p>Will lets the laugh bloom from his chest, the bitter taste of it flowing out of him as he shakes his head.</p><p>" Jack Crawford just assigned a chantry scholar to oversee me out in the field," He presses his lips together," Some noble healer sent by the maker to ease the fear of the big bad mage or whatever the fuck the Chantry thinks."</p><p>Beverly folds the parchment in her lap and nods, giving her full attention to listen while Will recounts the encounter with Doctor Lecter.</p><p>When he's finished he feels himself steaming again. What Hannibal said to him struck a cord in him.</p><p>
  <em>"I imagine what you see and learn touches everything else in your mind. Your values and decency are present yet shocked at your associations, appalled at your dreams. No forts in the bone arena of your skull for things you love." </em>
</p><p>He had described Will like he could see right through him, and it bothered Will even more when he couldn't get a read on him like everyone else.</p><p>Hannibal Lecter was an enigma, someone who had reached right into his skin and picked up what he thought he had hidden well, and Will would never give him the satisfaction of knowing that.</p><p>"Maker's breath, I thought the Chantry was finally getting off your back. Did Jack mention why they were assigning you a personal chaperone?" </p><p>"They want to make sure I'm not bringing back the killers and apostates that I assume, it wouldn't do them any good if I end up useless, you know what will happen. I'll.." He trails off, resting his hands in his lap.</p><p><em> I'll be made tranquil</em>. He didn't allow the words to come out of his mouth.</p><p>Both Beverly and Alana closed up at the mention of tranquility.</p><p>He told them countless times that at some point they'd have to confront it, the threat that the Templars would eventually cut off both his access to his magic and leave him emotionless, neither awake or asleep.</p><p>It was set in stone for him by the Chantry. Once they find him to be too unstable and no longer of use, the Rite of Tranquility would be his fate.</p><p>His empathy and power was far too great for him to sit idly by. <em>Too much of a risk</em>, he had been told.</p><p>It's what made Alana do everything she could to keep him off the field in the first months after his Harrowing, but his success in not allowing the temptation of possession to consume him only confirmed to the higher ups that he was stable enough to continue learning under their hand.</p><p>Alana had authority over the circle and the local chantry, but evidently not enough when his first mission was to find a escaped circle mage. </p><p>He couldn't forget the fear in the mage's eyes when Will had caught her hiding in a Inn at the edge of Highever.</p><p>He wanted out after that, but the risk of leaving was too much of a price to pay so he continued on.</p><p>Apostate after apostate, and it got to be too much when in their place all he could see was Beverly and other times himself.</p><p>" Hey, I know you'll pass whatever test he throws at you bud," Beverly pats him on the back gently, and Will knows she's doing it more to comfort herself so he lets her," You passed your harrowing like a breeze, and learned how to control your magic earlier than any of the other apprentices when we were kids."</p><p>He takes in the words, her feelings waving off of her were genuine.</p><p>"And if not I can set his clothes on fire for you." She grins up at him and he can't help but laugh at the determined look on her face. </p><p>"You are not going to set his clothes on fire Bev," Will grins back, evading the compliment with an ease Beverly was used to by now.</p><p>She leans back in her chair, unfolding the papers to go back to skimming through them and giving Will one last smirk before she's pulled back into her work," I might."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When Will is forced awake by a knock at his door, he wishes he'd taken up Beverly’s offer.</p><p>He groans as he sits up from his cot, rubbing his eyes and moving towards the door of his room they had rented in a Redcliffe Inn.</p><p>It was only two day's after his encounter with Hannibal that Jack had gathers his examiners, Hannibal and Will to investigate a body found in a field at the edge of the village. </p><p>Another elven girl that fit the profile just as perfectly as the others. Her body was impaled on the antlers of a Halla and her lungs were removed from her body with surgical precision.</p><p>The girl had been displayed so meticulously, leaving zero trace of the love that the cannibal, renamed the Redcliffe Strike by the local authority, had left behind before for Will to find.</p><p>That's how Will knew the moment he stepped onto that field that whoever killed Cassie Boyle didn't kill all those other girls. </p><p>Whoever this was, this killing was meant to be an offering or a gift of some sort, he didn't know. </p><p>After they finished up on the field, Jack had ordered him and Hannibal to stay in Redcliffe for one more day to pick up on a lead that Beverly had found.</p><p>He exchanged few words with the man, and only bid him a goodnight when they split to their separate rooms.</p><p>Will was aware he was being a little cold, but he brushed it off when he remembered both his pride and his life were on the line. He deserved the right to be bitter having someone floating around him even out of the circle.</p><p>He opens the door to see Hannibal standing with a steaming plate of food and something wrapped in paper.</p><p>" Good morning Will," Will swears that Hannibal's eyes trail over his body for a moment," May I come in?" '<em>Okay, what was that,'</em> he thinks.</p><p>Will feels his neck flush under Hannibal's intense gaze, '<em>M</em><em>aker why does he stare that much',</em> and he opts out of thinking too much into it as he moves out of the way to let him in.  </p><p>Will watches in silence as Hannibal sits himself at the table in the corner of the room, placing the plates and unwraps the paper to revealed cured meat.</p><p>He tilts his head at Will when he doesn't move from where he stood and gestures to the the chair across from him.</p><p>" Please, sit," Will feels himself walking to his chair, his head spinning as he tries to emulate Hannibal's thoughts to no avail.</p><p>He'd thought after their first meeting he would be able to read him better, seeing as they had spent a little more time together, but that wasn't the case. Hannibal remained a mystery to him. He accepts the defeat, shoveling a forkful of scramble and cut up meat into his mouth.</p><p>" I'm very careful about what I put into my body, but because we're traveling I cannot prepare like I usually do so this is what the Inn had," He ignores Hannibal's eyes on him as he swallows," Though I brought along some meat I cured myself. Some protein to start the day." </p><p>Will nods," It's delicious. Thank you."</p><p>It was delicious. In the circle, there wasn't that much of a variety when it came to meals, so this was something Will would savor silently. </p><p>" My pleasure," Hannibal says with the hint of a smile, then suddenly his face is serious," I would apologize for my analytical ambush, but I know I will soon be apologizing again and you'll tire of that eventually, so I have to consider using apologies sparingly." </p><p>Will can't help the bite in his voice when he responds," Just keep it professional." </p><p>" Or we could socialize like adults. Maker forbid we become friendly." His words dance on the edge of flirtation and Will pauses eating to look up at the man in front of him. In passing Will had studied Hannibal enough on the surface to see he was a put together man.</p><p>Hannibal's cadence and charm suggested that maybe he'd been from nobility, and though intimidating, Will was compelled. Though he definitely will not admit that to anyone, not even Beverly.</p><p>So Will scoffs, setting his fork down as he spares himself a glance at Hannibal, all heavy-lidded eyes and the curve of cheekbones," The Chantry would probably have something to say about it, getting to close defeats the purpose of guiding without bias. And I don't find you that interesting." </p><p>" You will." The words hang in the air, and with a glint of amusement in his eyes Hannibal speaks.</p><p>" If it's the Chantry that concerns you Will, you should know that I seldomly work with them. This was at the request of a colleague and an old friend, Revered Mother Bloom." Hannibal takes a bite out of a piece of meat as Will stares at him speechless. So Alana had finally figured out a way to keep the Chantry off his back. </p><p>Hannibal looks up from his food and Will doesn't tear away when their eyes meet again. It's a small victory when his hands barely shake in his lap and he wills himself to not cower away," I don't think the Shrike killed that girl in the field."</p><p>Hannibal perks up and when he leans forward Will notes his hair falling in his face," The devil is in the details. What didn’t your copycat do to the girl in the field? What gave it away?"</p><p>Will rubs his eyes with the heel of his palms, the scene dancing freshly in his memories. He feels his breath shake," Everything. It’s like he had to show me a negative so that I could see the positive. That crime scene was practically gift-wrapped for me."</p><p>"The mathematics of human behavior, all those ugly variables. Some bad math with this Shrike fellow hm? Are you reconstructing his fantasies?" Will can only grunt in response before he delves himself back into his breakfast, which was slowly getting cold as their conversation rolled on. His throat felt dry from how much he spoke.</p><p>Hannibal must have picked up on that because he pours Will a glass of water from the pitcher between them, and Will silently thanks him.</p><p>"What kind of problems does he have?" Hannibal continues when Will finishes half the cup.</p><p>" Uh, he has a few." Too many. Will had already given Jack his thoughts on the Shrike.</p><p>A man who valued his victims, believed that he was honoring them by devouring them, and he was desperately grasping at something fleeting. </p><p>He's pulled out of his thoughts when he feels Hannibal's eyes linger on him," You ever have any problems, Will?"</p><p>The question is so sudden and he knows it's another ambush, but Hannibal had already warned him he would continue to ambush unapologetically.</p><p>He doesn't bite, replying with a short reply and slightly teasing Hannibal with the strain in his voice," No." </p><p>Hannibal probably expected as much, cause he nods with a cat-like grin," Of course you don’t. You and I are just alike problem-free. Nothing about us to feel horrible about."</p><p>Will brings his head back up, and he feels a smile threaten his lips," You know, Will? I think Uncle Jack sees you as a fragile little teacup. The finest Orlesian porcelain, used for only special guests."</p><p>The laugh spills from him before he could stop himself, face heating up when Hannibal's eyes crinkle and beam at the act of making Will laugh. If this was how they were going to exist in the same space, Will was sure he was doomed. </p><p>Will is still shaking with laughter when he asks," How do you see me?" He doesn't mean to ask it, being as he started the day off cursing Doctor Hannibal Lecter and now he was stuck between wanting to know more and pushing him away.</p><p>Getting too close wasn't ideal, but Will could feel the budding of a relationship between them. Whether that meant friendship or the dance on the edge of flirtation he couldn't be bothered to analyze.</p><p>Companionship outside of the circle, if even possible, was more of a risk. Especially knowing that Hannibal lived without magic and worked for the people that wanted to cage him. </p><p>But he needed to know what Hannibal thought of him, even if it meant nothing.</p><p>Hannibal is silent, schooling his face to leave no trace of emotion as he considered his answer." The mongoose I want under the house when the snakes slither by."</p><p>Will furrows his brow, tilting his head as the words flow over him. What did that even mean?</p><p>"Finish your breakfast." Hannibal goes back to eating his food, and Will watches him with the question at the tip of his tongue. Shaking his head he picks up his fork again, it would be something to ponder for later.</p><p>Right now he had to convince himself that getting personal with Hannibal Lecter was a bad idea.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Through trial and error, they managed to find information with a blacksmith about an employee named Garret Jacob Hobbs.</p><p>He'd stuck out like a sore thumb to Will amongst the other files on hand, and with brief farewell to the woman at the front. </p><p>Will had caught on to the profile of the cannibal.</p><p>He seeked out elven girls with similar features, and Will had connected that the Shrike had a daughter. She was both elven and human, and it's what made him easier to track down. </p><p>They dismounted their horses infront of a cottage, and Will could feel the air buzzing with the familiar magic that lingered in Elise's bedroom.</p><p>He sucks in a breath and walks away from his horse.</p><p>An elven woman stumbles out the front door, her hands clutching her throat as she topples onto the dirt and Will moves quickly.</p><p>His hands trembled trying to stop the bleeding, but there was already so much blood. </p><p>Will's watches the woman gasp once more before she stops choking, eyes glassy and lips parted.</p><p>He pushes himself up and pulls his staff from his back holster. He had to focus on the mission.</p><p>He doesn't look back at Hannibal, not even sure if he would follow when he steps through the door.</p><p>" Garret Jacob Hobbs, surrender to the Order!" Will calls out, searching the room for the assailant. He hears a girl screaming down the hall and races to the kitchen.</p><p>Focusing on the grip around his staff if this further escalates. He assumes it will be if Hobbs' wife was easily cast aside.</p><p>Will turns the corner and tenses up at the sight of Hobbs with his daughter in his arms. His magic lingered in the air, blood seeping the wooden floor and through his clothes. </p><p>A glint of a blade catches Will's eye.</p><p>The moment Hobbs sees Will, he pulls his daughter closer to him. Will's vision blurs when he sees how terrified the girl looks.</p><p>Elise Nicholes eyes stare back at him, the same desperation woven into them. A testament to how perfectly the Shrike chose his victims.</p><p>Anger bubbles inside of Will, Elise's desperation claws through his chest and he releases bolts from his fingertips, the sound crackling throughout the room. </p><p>Garret Jacob Hobbs hurriedly pushes the blade across his daughter's neck before Will's lightning bursts through him.</p><p>He hits Hobbs once, twice, and then nine times before his body falls back against the cabinets. </p><p>Will's ears ring and he can't focus. 'Maker he needed to focus.'</p><p>The girl's whimpering pulls him to the floor and he's clamping his hands around the wound to stop the bleeding, but his hands shake with her gasps for air. </p><p>"See." Will's body tremors as he turns his head to see Hobbs, a smile played on his lips before his head flops back. This couldn't be happening. </p><p>He holds back a sob and turns back to Hobbs' daughter, who's eyes were starting to dim as she choked on her blood.</p><p>At the corner of his eyes he could see Hannibal, and that knowledge did nothing to keep Will's hands still as he applied light pressure to the cut.</p><p>It's deep, unlikely she will even survive the next hour, the next two if she's lucky.</p><p>Terror and sorrow come off of her in waves and Will's heart clenches with her. Will can feel himself straying away until he feels warm hands push him away from their position on the girl's throat. </p><p>He steadies his gaze with Hannibal's and holds his breath when they glow back at him.</p><p>A swift wave of the hand and the girl's throat mends with the graze of fingertips. </p><p>Will freezes when the gash is raised to skin, leaving behind evidence of a less fatal slit that would only need a patch and bedrest.</p><p>It was a feat that could only be perfectly executed with magic</p><p>The realization dawns on him and he digs his fingernails in his palm to ground himself in the haze of confusion and lingering adrenaline.</p><p>Will was made to sense the most powerful mages, but years of Chantry influence and training were called into question by the man who kneeled beside him.</p><p>Hannibal spares Will a single glance, and Will feels himself breathe again. </p><p>He should be turning him in, apprehending him just for the simple fact he lied to the circle. But there's this feeling in his gut telling him he shouldn't. </p><p>It's what gets Will to follow Hannibal's instructions when he motions for him to help lift the girl off the ground. </p><p>" The wound wasn't deep, but she's lost alot of blood," Hannibal says," We'll take her bacek to the inn and hope she survives the night before we attempt to take her back to Denerim." </p><p>Will wordlessly nods and allows Hannibal to lead as they carefully carry Hobbs' daughter outside.</p><p>He almost trips over the body in front of the door, but they manage to put her on Hannibal's horse with extra care. </p><p>When she's settled infront of Hannibal, Will pulls himself on his saddle.</p><p>His head still swirls and hands shake and he stares at Hannibal's back, trying to decipher if that really was magic back there in Hobbs' kitchen. Or a slip of his mind, the damage setting in like the Chantry had said.</p><p>Will decidedly pushes it away from his mind for now, he'd rather unpack all of that later. So he forces himself to focus on the ride.</p><p>He ignores the borderline joy and satisfaction that killing Hobbs left behind when he spares one more look at the empty home.</p><p>When he turns back around to Hannibal staring silently. Hannibal looks away first and directs his horse to move on.</p><p>Will doesn't move, agast as he could've sworn Hannibal had smiled at him.</p><p>" Will?" He shakes his head, pressing on to catch up with Hannibal. Will can't tell if it was real or not.</p>
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